HDDs use one or more disks and/or platters that rotate about a spindle with respect to one or more heads, such as read and/or writer heads. The read or writer heads read information from and/or impart information to the disk platters, but do not, in desired operation, physically contact the platters. Traditionally, a HDD head is implemented by an integrated circuit (IC) that is subsequently mounted (e.g., soldered) to a printed circuit substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB) and/or a printed circuit cable assembly (PCCA). The printed circuit substrate is affixed to a stiffener and/or armature arm that positions the HDD head relative to a disk platter.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example of a layout 100 for armature assembly printed circuit substrate 102 for an HDD. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, seats (e.g., 106-1) and solder bumps or balls (e.g., 108-1) on a printed circuit substrate 102 are shown. In particular, there is an IC seat 104 (which is the position or location for the IC) having sides A, B, C, and D for an IC that implements four HDD writer heads is shown in a broken line. Each of the HDD write heads within the IC includes seats 106-1 to 106-4 (which are illustrated with broken lines). As shown, the HDD writer head seats 106-1 to 106-4 are positioned at the edge of side A of the IC seat 104 to, for example, shorten a trace length from solder bumps (e.g., sets of solder balls 108-1 to 108-4) for the writer head seats 106-1 to 106-4 to other components, circuits and/or devices of the printed circuit substrate 102. There are also several other sets of solder balls or bumps 110 to 116 associate with seat 104.